LifeCare Chiropractic

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exercise

Stuck Behind a Desk All Day? 100 Seconds to Better Health

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While society’s collective exercise conscious has deteriorated, I’m pretty sure we haven’t reached the stage where “typing” is considered vigorous exercise.

Given that so many of us are stuck behind a desk all day (I refer to “us,” but luckily my job is constantly up and down) this creates quite the conundrum. We know we need physical activity and yet the typical desk job that constitutes so much of the workload in a post-industrial economy hardly could be called physical.

Many have resorted to walking around the campus at lunch (many times in groups, collective little ducklings wandering around the decorative lake), but this may not leave time for a healthy, relaxing lunch.

So whatever is one to do?

This particular study begins to find some answers. Researchers looked at a group of 70 adults confined to a deskjob for 9 painful hours (no participants were harmed in the course of this study nor actually chained to the desk by an overly aggressive supervisor). Three different protocols were used by each participants:

  1. Sitting on your ischial tuberosity for 9 hours straight (sign me up for THIS one!!!).
  2. Walking for 30 min and then sitting (basically the equivalent of the lunch walk group).
  3. The other protocol involved walking for 100 seconds every 30 minutes (for the math whizzes, the total exercise would be almost equal in the two groups).
  4. In addition, participants consumed a meal-replacement beverage at the 1, 4 and 7 hour marks.

Given the pretty solid research on short burst aerobic activity (which this was NOT—it was merely walking), the findings should come as no surprise: Glucose, insulin and triglycerides were all improved more by the group that split up the exercise every half hour.

I’m not saying you should keep a jump rope by your desk and hit the play button on the Rocky “Gonna Fly Now” soundtrack right by your desk every 30 minutes, but it has some pretty darn interesting implications. This study did not even look at short burst, it was more the equivalent of walking to the bathroom. If this can make positive changes, think about how much more benefit could be seen with something a little more aggressive.

At any rate, I think it’s time to bring it up at your next staff meeting.

Patient education to encourage graded exercise in chronic fatigue – (03-01-01)

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Patient education to encourage graded exercise in chronic fatigue

I firmly believe that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are intimately related, and both are a result of the up-regulation of the immune system. Where this up-regulation comes from and what perpetuates it may vary, but the end results are the same. This study demonstrates that exercise is beneficial in reducing the symptoms of CFS. Exercise is known to have anti-inflammatory effects, and also reduces the damaging effects of stress hormones on our bodies.

bmj.com Abstracts: Powell et al. 322 (7283): 387

Read entire article here

Exercise, bone health and oral contraceptive use – (07-09-01)

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Exercise, bone health and oral contraceptive use

This article finds that, although exercise is known to increase bone mass, this effect is not seen with women taking oral contraceptives. I know contraception is a tough issue from a health care practitioner standpoint because the reasons why women choose the birth control pill, but the BCP does unquestionably have some adverse health effects. Increased risk of blood clots is still present even in the “new generation” BCP. The BCP increases insulin resistance which can have major health impacts on many women. And now we see that it interferes with a woman’s ability to add bone mass through exercise. Remember this the next time you read an article or hear someone talking about eradicating women’s periods. I almost get ill with the thought of the arrogance that doctors have in regards to what Mother Nature thought was needed…

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins – Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Read entire article here

Muscle Eccentric Exercise: Influence of Ibuprofen Acetaminophen – (11-01-01)

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Muscle Eccentric Exercise: Influence of Ibuprofen Acetaminophen

This is an interesting concept for all those weightlifters who frequently medicate their aches and pains with over the counter analgesics. This study shows that dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can inhibit the muscles’ ability to build after eccentric resistance exercises. Not to mention the fact that these have damaging effects on the GI tract, liver, kidneys and joint cartilage… My recommendation to weight lifters that rely on OTC pain meds–find a good chiropractors so you don’t need the pain relief. And, if you’re worried about post workout soreness, try proteolytic enzymes after a workout.

JCEM — Abstracts: Trappe et al. 86 (10): 5067

Read entire article here

Diet, Exercise on BP, Insulin, Oxidative Stress, NO Availability – (10-31-02)

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Diet, Exercise on BP, Insulin, Oxidative Stress, NO Availability

Need I say more? Obviously this wasn’t sponsored by the makers of Lipitor or Atenolol. 30-45 mins exercise per day and dietary modifications for 3 weeks. 3 weeks!!! That’s all it took to affect these markers. And yet, recommendations such as these are low on the list of what most patients get. I remember a 19-year old patient who found out she had cholesterol in the 300′s and triglerides in the upper 400′s. A CARDIOLOGIST told her to just eat a low fat diet. She was. Gummi bears, pop, twizzlers….Roberts et al., 10.1161/01.CIR.0000040584.91836.0D –

Read entire article here

Exercise and Pregnancy: Can You Do Both? – (08-30-02)

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Exercise and Pregnancy: Can You Do Both?

Over the years, there has been considerable debate regarding the importance (and safety) of physical activity during pregnancy. Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published new guidelines for exercise during pregnancy and the period immediately after giving birth.

This article examines various recommendations related to exercise during pregnancy, but the authors’ conclusion sums it up best: “Pregnancy should not be a state of confinement, and pregnant women should be encouraged to continue and engage in physical activities. … Despite the fact that pregnancy is associated with profound anatomical and physiological changes, exercise has minimal risks and confirmed benefits for most women.”

As these guidelines emphasize, if you’re expecting a child, certain physical activities are safe and even beneficial; on the other hand, some activities may be dangerous. Before you begin any exercise program during pregnancy, talk to your doctor to ensure that you and your growing child stay as healthy as possible.

For more information on women’s health, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/women.html. Reference:Artal R, O’Toole M. Guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2003;37:6-12.

 

Cognitive and psychological outcomes of exercise – (08-30-02)

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Get With the Program – and Stay on It!

The phrase “use it or lose it” can apply to almost anything. And Researchers in Ohio have found that this phrase rings especially true when it comes to maintaining good exercise habits. Simply put, if you start exercising and then stop, or only exercise sporadically, you’ll lose the physical gains you’ve made along the way – and you could lose some of the accrued psychological benefits as well.

Scientists looked at the exercise habits of 28 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disorder. Participants completed a 10-week exercise rehabilitation program and were given a home exercise program to continue on their own. A year later, the researchers contacted the participants to see if they had continued exercising.

At the end of the initial program, all of the participants showed gains in physical endurance, as well as in cognitive and psychological functioning. Subjects who continued to exercise during the following year maintained these benefits, but those who had stopped exercising regularly showed “significant declines” on all physical and mental tests.

The message here is simple: If you want to improve yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally, start an exercise program and stick with it. Your doctor of chiropractic can help design an exercise program that will help you get your mind and body in better shape over the long haul.

For more information on the benefits of exercise click here.

Reference:Emery CF, Shermer RL, Hauck ER, et al. Cognitive and psychological outcomes of exercise in a 1-year follow-up study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health Psychology November 2003;22(6).